GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2015

H                                                                                                                                                    1

HOUSE BILL 716

Short Title:        LRC Study Wage Garnishment.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Representatives Bishop, J. Bell, and Bradford (Primary Sponsors). For a complete list of Sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly Web Site.
Referred to:	Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House.

April 15, 2015

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT TO DIRECT THE LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH COMMISSION TO STUDY HOW TO IMPLEMENT WAGE GARNISHMENT IN NORTH CAROLINA.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  The Legislative Research Commission shall study how to implement wage garnishment in North Carolina for the enforcement of judgments. The study shall include all of the following:

(a)        The types of judgments that should be included.

(b)        The amount of a debtor's wages that would be considered a livable wage and exempt from the enforcement of judgments by wage garnishment.

(c)        The protections provided to the judgment debtor and any hardship exemptions that should apply.

(d)        The process for the wage garnishment and the fee provided to the employer, if any, that provides for the administrative costs associated with the garnishment, including how the fee is paid and if taken from the payments or paid by the judgment debtor.

(e)        Any other issue that would impact the implementation of wage garnishment.

SECTION 2.  The Legislative Research Commission may make an interim report, including recommended legislation, to the 2015 General Assembly when it reconvenes in 2016 and shall make its final report to the 2017 General Assembly when it convenes.

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.